


the prince of my dreams

by scribblingTiresias



Category: Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Trans, Coming Out, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Haircuts, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Trans Male Character, with a little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-08-23 05:04:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8314954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribblingTiresias/pseuds/scribblingTiresias
Summary: Of three haircuts, two princes, and one wish.





	

The first time Rampion's hair got cut he was still a she. Eugene did it for him, with broken glass and golden tears.

The second time he used a knife, late at night. He chopped it ragged, hoping no one noticed the next morning. Eugene held his hand under the table.

"Rapunzel? What's wrong?" 

"Nothing! Nothing. It's fine." Rampion's face burnt, and his shorn head felt naked. He wondered if he should tell Eugene why he'd done it, that he was a he. Eugene would do the same for him- had done. 

But the nagging voice in his head told him no. He was a silly girl with silly ideas. The sooner he let them go, the better. 

(He couldn't help but glance at himself in the mirror, and smile.) 

The third time, months later, he thought he'd gotten better with it. It looked less choppy, at least. That night, when he curled up in bed next to Eugene, loose hair scratched the back of his neck. 

Eugene brushed it away.

"You all right?" he asked again. He'd been asking that a lot, lately. 

Rampion breathed in.

"I have something weird to tell you. Really, really weird. Bad-weird." 

"It can't be that weird." Eugene grinned lazily. He pulled Rampion in close, and kissed his forehead.

Rampion rested his head on Eugene's shoulder. "I mean, you never know until you hear it, right?" 

He was babbling. He needed to stop. He couldn't stop.

"Well, _someone_ told me once they had magic hair that glowed when they sang." Eugene raised an eyebrow. "Not much can top that." 

"Yeah. Yeah!" Rampion laughed. His voice squeaked. "But it's- it's different, you're gonna think about me different." 

"I'm listening." 

"There's no good way to say this- there's a reason I've been cutting my hair so short and it's not just because I like it better that way. I mean, it is because I like it better that way, but it's not _just_ that- oh, Sun, I'm babbling." 

"You're fine." Eugene smoothed Rampion's hair; his thumb brushed the top of his ear. 

"I'm fine," Rampion repeated. "...I'm a boy, Eugene."

He tensed up. He'd never said the words aloud to anyone, and he knew that Eugene would push him away now. 

Eugene's eyes widened and he blinked. 

"What?" 

"I'm a boy," Rampion said again. "And I want... can you call me Rampion? Instead of Rapunzel? I-" 

Eugene pulled Rampion in closer. 

"Of course. Honestly, that... would explain a lot." 

He kissed the corner of Rampion's mouth. Rampion felt his shoulders loosen and his stomach unclench. 

"Really?" 

"You've been so quiet lately and all, I was starting to think you'd gotten tired of me." Eugene's smile didn't reach his eyes. It was one of _those_ jokes, wasn't it? 

"Never," Rampion said. "I was just scared you'd think I lied to you again, and I didn't want to be stupid and - and lose you." 

He stopped, and blinked back tears. 

"Nah. You can't get rid of me that easily, handsome." 

Rampion laughed shakily and buried his face in Eugene's shoulder. 

Eugene held him close for a long minute. Then he sang, under his breath. It rumbled up through his chest and into Rampion.

_"And at last I've seen the liiiiiiight, and it's like the fog has lifted-"_

_"And everything is different, now that I've seen you."_

_"Now that I've seen you,"_ Rampion echoed.

Eugene's arms held Rampion tight and safe, and he ran his fingers through his hair. 

"Rampion?" 

"Yeah?" He looked up at Eugene, and smiled.

"I know we started a tradition back there, you cutting your hair with random sharp objects n' all, but... in the morning, mind if I even it out some?" 

Warmth spread from Rampion's damp eyes to his cheeks and all the way through his chest. Eugene was wonderful. Rampion was still safe, and he was still loved, and as long as they were together, they really would be happy forever after. 

"Sure." 

He blinked away the last tears, and smiled.


End file.
